I'm Always Here
by ilovecastiel18
Summary: A collection of one-shots about Alec and Ellie simply being there for each other. There are separate summaries of each story at the beginning of each one-shot. Rated T for mild language and mentions of murder/rape and suicide throughout the collection.
1. I'm Always Here, Miller

**Disclaimer: **I do not own these characters, locations, storylines, or anything else from the show Broadchurch. If I did, I would not be sitting around writing fanfiction, and I certainly wouldn't have such a strong desire to meet David Tennant, because I already would have.

**Summary: **A collection of one-shots about Alec and Ellie simply being there for each other. Chapter 1: "I'm Always Here, Miller" takes place at the end of the last episode of season 1, after Hardy tells Ellie that Joe killed Danny and Ellie kicked the shit out of her husband. Instead of Ellie going to Hardy's hotel room, he goes to her hotel room and tries to comfort her. Tom and Fred are staying with Lucy for a few days while Ellie gets her bearings. Rated T for mild language and mentions of murder/rape and suicide throughout the collection.

**A/N: **I have never written a Broadchurch fanfiction before, so bear with me! I love the relationship between Alec Hardy and Ellie Miller, and I wish she would have just hugged him already! Side note, I'm American, so all my lingo might not be perfect. I'll try my hardest but some things might sound a little bit American. If you like the story, please leave a review! Thank you!

….

I'm Always Here, Miller

….

Ellie couldn't believe it. She really couldn't believe it. He husband, the man she had slept next to for a decade, the man she had had two beautiful little boys with…was a child killer. He had killed Danny Latimer. And he had left Ellie and her boys alone and struggling while he was rotting in jail waiting for his trial.

Ellie needed some time to process. She had nearly thrown up when Hardy told her that it was Joe that had killed Danny. The she proceeded to kick the shit out of Joe. And that could potentially harm the case against Joe if he decides to plead not guilty. She didn't know if she could handle all of that at once.

She had sent her kids to stay with Lucy for a while just so she could have a day or two to process everything. She wanted to be there for her boys, but she didn't know if she was in the right capacity to be there for them when she was so broken about what Joe had done. Ellie curled up at the headboard of the bed in her room at the Trader's, wrapping her arms around her knees and burying her face in her arms. She just couldn't believe this was happening to her. She couldn't believe that her Joe…

Ellie sniffed and started to cry. And then she started crying harder until she was bawling, barely able to take in a breath between her sobs. Unable to calm herself, she continued to cry until she was practically in the throws of a panic attack.

What she didn't realize was that her room was right next to that of DI Alec Hardy, and he could hear her.

As soon as he heard Ellie's panicked cries, Hardy left his room and knocked on hers.

"Miller, can I come in?" he yelled.

Apparently, she didn't hear him, or was ignoring him, because she continued to cry in earnest, and didn't answer the Detective Inspector.

"Miller!" he yelled again. Sure that she was soon going to be hyperventilating, Hardy kicked down the door of her hotel room, sure that his dysfunctional heart was going to be angry about it. And his wallet.

When he stepped over the door and into the room, he saw Ellie curled up at the headboard of her bed, staring at him like an alien while she continued to sob.

"Miller, you need to calm down or you're going to hyperventilate." Hardy walked toward her bed and hovered next to his partner.

"I… I just can't believe that… I mean I believe it, but I…" Ellie stammered.

"May I?" Hardy motioned for her to scooch over and sat next to her on the bed.

"I understand. My ex-wife didn't…" he paused, wondering if this was the time to divulge toEllie what truly happened in Sandbrook. Deciding that it was, he continued. "She was the officer who stopped to have an affair with the evidence in her car. It was her car that was broken into, her fault that I didn't solve Sandbrook. I took the blame to spare my daughter, but Tess and I… I understand feeling overwhelmed by the actions of a spouse, Miller." Hardy leaned back against the headboard, not knowing what else to do. He hoped that simply being here was some comfort to Ellie.

Ellie, on her part, hadn't stopped crying. She was still sobbing into her knees, crushed by what her husband had done to the Latimer family.

"I'm sorry this is happening to you." Hardy whispered, placing a comforting hand on Ellie's back.

Ellie began crying even harder, her shoulders shaking with her sobs. Hardy just rubbed her shoulder soothingly, not sure if they were in a place in their relationship where it would be alright to hug her.

"It's just… not… fair…" Ellie gasped between sobs. "And my… my boys…" she cried.

"They'll make it through this, Miller. They're strong boys. And their mother is the strongest person I know." Hardy reassured.

"Sure… doesn't… seem like… it." Ellie panted.

"Everyone has a breaking point, Miller. No matter how strong a person is, they'll break eventually. No one would ever think less of you for this. Especially me." Hardy replied.

That just made Ellie cry harder. Her sobs were making her whole body shake, and Hardy felt helpless to do anything. He just kept his hand on her back as a sort of anchor, and let her ride out her tidal wave of emotions.

Hardy felt terrible for Ellie. How Joe could have dared to kill Danny, and put his family and the Latimer family, and the entire town, through that kind of trauma was beyond him. Ellie deserved so much better.

As Ellie started to calm her crying, Hardy moved his hand away to give her some space, hoping that was the right thing to do. He wasn't good with emotions or comforting people, but he wanted to be there for Ellie.

When Ellie finally looked up from where her head had been buried, she refused to look at Hardy.

"I'm sorry, sir." She muttered to the wall.

"There's no need to be sorry, Miller. I understand." Hardy replied.

"Still…" Ellie hiccupped.

"Stop it. I wouldn't be here if I didn't want to help." Hardy cautiously placed an arm around Ellie, and she leaned into him, resting her head against his shoulder.

"We're a pair, aren't we?" Hardy exclaimed.

Ellie snorted. "We're something, sir."

Hardy paused. "I hope it's alright that I came in here. I'll obviously pay for the door that I knocked down. But I wanted to make sure that you were alright. I thought you were going to hyperventilate. I didn't mean to invade your privacy."

"It's alright. I'm glad you're here. Just having someone near me who cares helped. I just wish…"

"I know. This isn't fair to you, or your boys, or the Latimers, or anyone else in Broadchurch. What Joe did was awful, and the aftereffects have been no better." Hardy interrupted. He didn't want to make Ellie say it out loud.

"I just… what if Beth never forgives me? I should have realized what Joe was." Ellie voiced.

"It's not your fault. You can't blame yourself for this. What Joe did… that was entirely on him. There was nothing you could have done to stop it. As for Beth…" Hardy paused. "There's nothing you can do there either. She may blame you, she may say some awful things about you and never want to speak to you again. But she did lose her son, Miller."

"But she was my only friend. Nobody in Broadchurch will ever look at me the same after this." Ellie's voice shook.

"I don't think any different of you, Miller. And once the shock wears off and the trial is over, people will realize that you had no idea about Joe."

Ellie sniffed.

"I'm not sure if the Latimers will ever be the same around you, but people _will _realize that you aren't to blame. You couldn't have known. You couldn't have worked with me as hard as you did to solve this case if you had known it was Joe the whole time. You wouldn't have almost been sick when I told you it was him, and you wouldn't have kicked the shit out of him in the interrogation room if you had known the whole time. People will realize that, I promise you." Hardy continued.

"Thank you, sir." Ellie whispered.

"And until then, you should know that I'll be here for you. I know we aren't exactly friends, and I know you usually think that I'm a knob, but I know this level of ridicule is hard to handle. Trust me when I say that it's even harder to handle by yourself. So, I will be here for you, whatever you need. I will be at your side for every step of the trial and anything else you need." Hardy paused, turning slightly so he could look Ellie in the eye.

"I'm always here, Miller."

Ellie nodded slightly, turning away from her boss and leaning back into his shoulder. For once, she really believed that Hardy cared about her. And she was right.


	2. I'm Always Here, Sir

**Disclaimer: **I do not own these characters, locations, storylines, or anything else from the show Broadchurch. If I did, I would not be sitting around writing fanfiction, and I certainly wouldn't have such a strong desire to meet David Tennant, because I already would have.

**Summary: **A collection of one-shots about Alec and Ellie simply being there for each other. Chapter 2: "I'm Always Here, Sir" is an AU about the episode in season 2 where Hardy and Ellie have to share a bed when they visit Sandbrook. Hardy wakes up screaming from one of his Sandbrook nightmares and Ellie comforts him. Rated T for mild language and mentions of murder/rape and suicide throughout the collection.

**A/N: **Yes, I stole a line from BBC Sherlock, I started writing the scene and couldn't help myself! I obviously don't own anything involved in Sherlock, though I wish I did. If you haven't watched it, I highly recommend!

….

I'm Always Here, Sir

….

DI Alec Hardy would have given anything not to have to go back to Sandbrook ever again. The case never left him, but he never wanted to see that town again, never wanted to step anywhere near the river where…

As Ellie drove the pair of them closer and closer to the town that had broken him, physically and mentally, Hardy got more and more anxious about the whole thing. Of course, he needed to go, but the thought of being back there made Hardy sick. And he knew he was going to have one of his nightmares again tonight.

….

As Hardy and Ellie walked into their hotel room in Sandbrook, they noticed a glaring problem.

"There's only one bed." Hardy said, a bit dumbfounded.

"No kidding, Captain Obvious." Ellie exclaimed from behind him.

"Right, well, I can find accommodations for the floor…" Hardy started to say. 

"Oh, don't be ridiculous, sir. We can share the bed. I can sleep under the covers and you can sleep on top of them." Ellie argued, walking over to the corner of the room and dropping her bag.

"People will talk." Hardy argued.

"People do little else. Besides, who's going to know?" Ellie countered.

"Alright, Miller."

….

The night went smoothly enough for the pair of them. Ellie climbed under the covers and Hardy laid down on top of them, and they settled in for a night that Hardy was sure was going to be eventful for the both of them. And not in a good way.

Hardy pulled a blanket over himself and rolled onto his side. "Well, goodnight, Miller." He muttered.

"Goodnight, sir."

Hardy felt like he should warn his partner about his upcoming nightmare, the one he was sure he was going to have now that he was back in Sandbrook, but he thought better of it. On the off chance that he wouldn't get the nightmare, he didn't want to spook Ellie. If he woke up screaming in the middle of the night, she would find out. But otherwise, Hardy felt no need to spook her. He drifted off into a restless sleep, awaiting the nightmare he knew was coming.

….

It happened. Hardy knew he was thrashing around on the bed, wrapping his blanket around his legs and making him more panicked than he already was, but he couldn't seem to wake up from his dream.

That is, until he let out a bloodcurdling scream and sat up in bed drenched in sweat. He prayed that he hadn't woken Ellie, even though he knew there was no way she could sleep through a scream like that. As he thought about the nightmare he had just experienced, he rolled over and began to cry silently.

He hated that nightmare. He hated reliving finding Pippa's body in the river. He hated remembering carrying her out, drenched and crying, as it rained down on them.

As his silent tears started to fall, Hardy felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Sir, you scared the hell out of me. Did you have a nightmare?" Ellie sat up in bed with the sudden realization that Hardy's shoulders were shaking slightly. "Sir, are you alright?" she asked quietly. She was hoping that no one else had heard Hardy's scream, because she did _not _feel like dealing with security at this time, and when Hardy was obviously hurting.

Hardy sniffed and hastily wiped at his face. "I'm fine, Miller. You can go back to sleep." He replied.

"You don't seem alright. Do you want to talk about it?" Ellie questioned.

"Not particularly." Hardy muttered. "Go to sleep, Miller. You shouldn't stay up at this ungodly hour on my account."

"I just want to make sure you're okay. You were there for me the night that Joe was arrested." She paused. "I know how much Sandbrook has affected you. Is that why you had a nightmare?"

"Honestly, Miller, I'm alright. I have that nightmare all the time, it's nothing to worry about." Hardy argued.

"I want to help if I can." She pressed.

"Nobody can help me, Miller. If I can't solve this case…" Hardy's voice cracked and he struggled to hold in his tears.

"You will. I know you will solve this, sir." Ellie grasped Hardy's shoulder tightly as he started to shake with renewed tears. "What is the nightmare about?" 

"I just… I relive when I… when I found Pippa's body and carried her out of the river. I…" Hardy paused as a sob escaped his lips. "I almost died that day, Miller." He gasped between sobs. "Honestly, this… this isn't something that you should worry about."

"Sir, please just trust me." Ellie responded.

"I do trust you, Miller. But I don't want to concern you…"

Ellie cut him off. "I want to know. I want to help."

Hardy sighed. "I almost drowned that day. When I saw her… I thought somehow that she was still alive, so I rushed in during a storm and got pulled under by a riptide. I… I barely survived to carry her body out of the water and onto shore." He sobbed again. "She was the same age as my daughter." Hardy could no longer hold back his tears. He let them run down his face as he struggled to take in breath after breath.

"I'm so sorry." Ellie grasped his shoulder tightly, wishing she could hug him but knowing that he probably wouldn't want that.

"So… am… I…" Hardy cried.

Ellie refused to fall back asleep as Hardy cried, knowing that her presence could comfort him. What surprised her, though, was when Hardy rolled over and sat up against the headboard, curling up in a ball and burying his face in his arms.

"Sir…" Ellie touched Hardy's knee, trying to gauge where his head was at. That just seemed to make him cry harder.

"I'm… sorry… for this… Miller." Hardy sobbed.

"There's no need to be sorry, sir. You were there for me, I can be there for you. I care about you, no matter how much of an arsehole you can be sometimes. I want to help you like you helped me." Ellie replied.

As Hardy slowly calmed down, Ellie reached a hand around him and started rubbing circles into his back, hoping that would help him. She was good at comforting her boys and anyone else who needed it, but Hardy was a different case. She was never sure what was right and what was wrong with that man.

He finished crying, hastily wiping the tear tracks off his face. He stretched out his long legs, sighing deeply. "I'm sorry you had to see that, Miller." He muttered.

"I already told you that it isn't a problem. I'm glad you trust me enough to let out your emotions in front of me." Ellie replied.

"Well, to be fair, I didn't have much of a choice. We're sharing a bed." Hardy countered. "But, yes, I trust you. Of course I trust you, Miller."

"I'm glad you think that, sir. I didn't think you trusted anyone."

"I haven't since Tess cheated on me. I felt like I could trust no one. I took the blame to spare my daughter and even she turned her back on me. I didn't think I would ever trust another person again until I met you, Miller." Hardy explained.

"Thank you. It means a lot to me that you trust me, despite everything with Joe…"

"I trust you _because _of everything with Joe. You stayed strong for your boys throughout everything that happened, everything that's still happening…" Hardy interrupted. "I know you didn't know, Miller. I know that you couldn't have gone on the way you did throughout the investigation if they did. Screw what everyone thinks, I know the truth." Hardy paused. "You're a good cop. You're a good person. Don't let anyone tell you differently." He wiped at more of the tear tracks on his face. Ellie reached up with her thumb to wipe off the biggest one.

"Thank you. I'm glad someone still trusts me. It means a lot to me to know that you don't think I knew about Joe and Danny. Everyone else seems to think I knew, everyone except for you. And I think you should know…" Ellie paused.

"Sir I think you should know that you can trust me with anything. You're my friend before you're my boss, so anything you need…" she paused again. "I'll always be there, sir."

Hardy smiled at Ellie before lying back down, pulling his blanket back over him.

"Goodnight, Miller."

"Goodnight, sir."


	3. I'm Always Here, Alec

**Disclaimer: **I do not own these characters, locations, storylines, or anything else from the show Broadchurch. If I did, I would not be sitting around writing fanfiction, and I certainly wouldn't have such a strong desire to meet David Tennant, because I already would have.

**Summary: **A collection of one-shots about Alec and Ellie simply being there for each other. Chapter 3, "I'm Always Here, Alec" is an AU about the scene from the end of season 2 where Alec Hardy is looking over the Sandbrook file after they solve it and starts crying. Instead of being alone, Ellie sees him and comforts him. Rated T for mild language and mentions of murder/rape and suicide throughout the collection.

….

I'm Always Here, Alec

….

He couldn't believe it. He simply could not believe it. After so many years of feeling like a failure, DI Alec Hardy, with the help of Ellie Miller, of course, finally solved the Sandbrook murders.

As Hardy sat looking over the case file, he felt a huge sense of relief wash over him. This case had nearly killed him on multiple accounts. He lost his reputation, he lost his family, his heart failed, and he even nearly offed himself a time or two over the last few years. Nothing had ever affected Alec Hardy quite as much as the Sandbrook case did.

As he idly flipped through the file, Hardy thought about the confession he got out of Lee Ashworth. He had known that the man was guilty from the beginning, but he never suspected that Ricky Gillespie had been involved. And all this time he had thought that it was Ricky that he was failing.

Hardy felt a wave of emotions overcome him. His hands started to shake and he started to cry, relief and anger welling inside him at the same time.

He didn't want the people in the station to see him cry, but he had already started and there was no stopping him.

Hardy flipped the file shut and pushed it away from him, planting his elbows on the table and burying his head in his hands. He was being as quiet as possible, holding back as much as he could since he was in public. At his job, no less.

Just then, he heard someone enter the room, and he quickly wiped his face and stopped his tears out of pure willpower. When he looked up, he saw DS Ellie Miller looking at him.

"Sir, are you alright?" she asked quietly.

"Oh, not this again. I'm fine, Miller. I promise this isn't a repeat of the hotel room in Sandbrook." Hardy's voice hitched on the last word.

"Sir, what did you mean when you told Ricky Gillespie that you nearly killed yourself over this investigation? Were you referring to your heart, or…" Ellie questioned, sitting in the seat next to Hardy and facing him.

"Truthfully? A little of both. I was mostly referring to my heart, but I did consider… that, a few times." Hardy replied with a sigh, rubbing his hands down his face.

"Really?" Ellie asked breathlessly.

"This case… Miller it was brutal. Two child murders, and everything was blown apart because my wife had to stop and cheat on me instead of bringing the evidence to the station. I couldn't… you know I couldn't sleep, I couldn't eat, I couldn't even live properly because of this case. It literally destroyed my heart. Are you really surprised?" Hardy explained.

"I just never thought… but you're so strong…" Ellie stammered.

"So are you, Miller. But let me ask you this: if it wasn't for your boys, would you have considered suicide after everything with Joe?" Hardy asked.

"Honestly, sir… I considered it even with my boys. I never would have gone through with it, but after everything…"

"Exactly. I'm just so, _so _glad that this case is over. I'm so glad that those girls can finally rest in peace, knowing that their killers are behind bars." Hardy turned fully toward Ellie, tears welling in his eyes again. 

"I cannot thank you enough for what you've done for me, Miller. You stuck by my side through everything. You had never worked on the Sandbrook case before, and yet you still helped me solve the damn thing." Hardy paused. "You're an amazing person. Truly. Even after everything with Joe, you still came back to Broadchurch and came back to the station and worked with me. You helped me resolve the biggest regret of my life. Thank you."

Now it was Ellie's turn to have tears well in her eyes.

"Sir… I can't imagine having a case like this on my conscience for two years. I'm not surprised that you heart gave out. But…" she paused. "Despite always having Sandbrook on your mind, you still set everything aside to solve Danny's death. I don't know how you could handle another child murder after what happened at Sandbrook."

"Honesty, I don't know how I handled it either." Hardy felt a tear drip from his eye. "I can't believe that it's finally over." Hardy laid his arms on the table and bent forward to rest his head on them, renewed tears pooling on his shirt sleeves.

Ellie placed a hand between his shoulder blades. "I'm glad I could help with this one. I'm glad I could get closure for those girls. And for you." She muttered.

Hardy couldn't take it. He abruptly stood from where he had been sitting and yanked Ellie up with him, pulling her into his chest and hugging her tightly. He rested his cheek against her temple and held on while he cried.

Ellie was startled by the action, but she quickly adjusted and wrapped her arms around Hardy's waist, letting her head rest against his shoulder. She never thought she would even hug Hardy, let alone comfort him after he finally got closure for the case that literally broke his heart.

"Thank you for everything, Ellie. I couldn't have done this without you."

Ellie smiled against Hardy's chest. "I'll always be here, Alec. For whatever you need."


	4. I'm Always Here, Ellie

**Disclaimer: **I do not own these characters, locations, storylines, or anything else from the show Broadchurch. If I did, I would not be sitting around writing fanfiction, and I certainly wouldn't have such a strong desire to meet David Tennant, because I already would have.

**Summary: **A collection of one-shots about Alec and Ellie simply being there for each other. Chapter 4: "I'm Always Here, Ellie" is an AU (or extra scene?) from the end of the last episode of season 3 when Alec joins a crying Ellie on the steps of the police station after learning who raped Trish Winterman. Instead of sitting in silence, Alec tries to comfort his friend. Rated T for mild language and mentions of murder/rape and suicide throughout the collection.

**A/N: **This one is my favorite chapter out of the four, the one I spent the most time on. I actually wrote this one first, but decided that, if I was going to make a collection of one-shots, they should probably be in order of how they happened in the show. Regardless, I really like this story. Please leave a review if you like it!

….

I'm Always Here, Ellie

….

It just wasn't fair. It wasn't fair that Leo Humphries had been grooming Michael Lucas to be a rapist. It wasn't fair that Trish Winterman was forced through the trauma of being raped because Humphries forced Lucas to follow in his footsteps. It wasn't fair that Leo Humphries thought that rape was fine because all of the women he'd raped had had sex before. It wasn't fair that Ellie had to go through a case like this only a few years after her husband was acquitted of the murder of Danny Latimer.

Speaking of how unfair everything was, it wasn't fair that Joe had killed Danny. It wasn't fair that the Latimers' had to grieve for their eleven-year-old son because Joe had "fallen in love with him." It wasn't fair that Ellie and Tom and Fred had to go through the trauma of their loved on, their family, being accused of murdering a child, and then being found innocent.

It wasn't fair that Alec Hardy simply disappeared after Sandbrook and Joe's trial. It wasn't fair that he didn't return any of Ellie's calls or texts, then just randomly showed up back in Broadchurch two years later as if nothing had happened. It just wasn't fair.

DS Ellie Miller sat on the steps of Broadchurch police station and cried. She and DI Alec Hardy had just gotten a confession out of Michael Lucas and Leo Humphries, and she knew she needed to get out of there. She barely made it to the steps before she started crying, though she refused to let herself cry too hard, lest the other officers or the people of Broadchurch see her like this.

Ellie heard footsteps come up behind her, and she hastily wiped the tears from her face as DI Alec Hardy sat down beside her.

"Are you alright?" Hardy whispered.

Not trusting herself to speak, Ellis simply shook her head.

"Come on." Hardy stood and grabbed Ellie by the elbow, gently lifting her from her position on the steps and leading her away from the station. He walked her to the car park and helped her into the passenger seat of her car. He then made his way around the car and climbed into the driver's seat, starting the engine and pulling away toward his own house. Daisy was still at school, and Hardy wanted to make sure Ellie had some space to let out any emotions she needed to.

It didn't take long for them to reach Hardy's little house, and he quickly put the car in park and made his way around it to get the door for Ellie. He didn't lead her by her elbow this time, he just let her make her own way to the door of his little house.

He popped in front of her when they got to the door to unlock it, letting her walk in first.

"I'm going to make tea." Hardy stated, walking into his little kitchen while Ellie made her way to the living room. Once he had put the kettle on, he walked into the living room so see Ellie standing in the middle of the room, unseeingly staring at the wall. Hardy walked over to stand in front of her.

"I figured this would be a better place to… well, I don't know. But it's more private here for you to do whatever you need to do. I didn't want you holding back whatever you needed to let out because you were in public, that's why I brought you here. I can leave you alone or I can stay, it's up to you."

Ellie looked up at Hardy for the first time since he sat next to her on the police station steps, tears already welling back up in her eyes.

"It's okay, Miller." Hardy patted Ellie's upper arm. Just then, the kettle whistled, so Hardy retreated back to his kitchen to pour them both a mug full. When he came back out into the living room with two mugs full of steaming tea, Ellie was sitting on the couch crying.

Hardy quickly set the mugs on the coffee table and sat next to Ellie. "Do you want me to leave you alone?" he asked quietly.

As an answer, Ellie leaned into Hardy's chest and started crying harder. He wasn't very good at these things, both of them knew that, but Ellie felt like he was the only person she trusted who could possibly understand what was going on in her head.

Hardy quietly wrapped his arms around Ellie, resting his cheek against her temple. "Oh, Ellie, I am so sorry about everything you've had to go through."

Ellie noticed that Hardy had called her "Ellie," not "Miller," and that made her cry even harder. Hardy moved one of his hands to hold her head against his chest.

Hardy held onto Ellie tightly as she cried, hoping that he could hold her together as she fell apart. She was shaking so badly that he felt like she was going to break, but still he held on. He didn't know if he could take much more without crying himself when she started to calm down. She pulled away from him, and Hardy immediately started to wish that he was still holding onto her, still giving her the comfort that he was sure she still needed.

"I'm sorry, sir." She choked out, wiping at her face.

"There's no need to apologize, Miller. I understand." He muttered. He reached for his mug of tea before realizing that it had gone cold.

"No, you have enough to deal with without having to hold onto me while I cry about how unfair life is." Ellie replied.

"Miller, don't ever apologize to me for having emotions. If I didn't want to help, I wouldn't have brought you here." Hardy berated. "Life has been cruel to you. I understand your frustration and sadness. And I've been there for you when you've cried before."

Ellie sniffed and looked away from her boss, hoping he would just leave it at that and let her go home.

"I'm sorry, by the way. I'm sorry I left right after Joe's trial and everything we went through with Sandbrook. I'm sorry I didn't answer your calls and texts, I just… I needed some time to process everything. I shouldn't have left you so soon after Joe was acquitted." Hardy leaned back against the back of the couch, sighing loudly. "I know I'm a shitty person sometimes, Miller, but I do care about you. No one has ever stuck by my side the way that you have. I appreciate that."

Ellie sniffed again. She really didn't want to start crying again, and Hardy was making that extremely difficult.

"I know I'm not good at this sort of thing, but I just want you to know that I'm always here, Ellie. For whatever you need. I won't leave again, I promise. I know it's been really rough for you the past few years, I just want to help." Hardy continued. "Okay, I'm done. I'll shut up now and go make us more tea, since these have gone cold." Hardy picked up the two mugs and made his way into the kitchen, giving Ellie the space that he knew she needed.

Ellie sniffed and wiped her eyes. She had always known that Hardy was passionate and caring, despite how hard he tried to hide it, but she had still never expected to be crying in his arms. The way that their relationship had progressed since they first met was astounding. She had found him irritating and rude, and now she was coming to him for comfort. Not that he gave her much of a choice, but Ellie would admit, only to herself, of course, that she probably would have gone to him anyway. She was friends with the Latimers again, and she had her boys, but Hardy seemed to be the only friend she had that she truly trusted to see her break down like that.

As Ellie was thinking about all those things, she heard the kettle whistle, and a few minutes later Hardy came out with two new mugs of steaming tea.

"Thank you, sir." Ellie took one of the mugs from Hardy as he sat back down next to her.

"You don't need to thank me, Miller. And you don't need to call me 'sir.'" Hardy sighed.

"Well what am I supposed to call you? You hate 'Alec' and it just feels weird to call you 'Hardy.'"

"Valid point. But still, it feels weird having you call me 'sir' right after you cried in my arms." Hardy replied.

Ellie's cheeks and ears turned red and she turned away from her boss in embarrassment.

"I didn't mean to embarrass you, Miller. I'm glad I could help you. Really." Hardy scolded himself.

Ellie kept her face turned away until the redness left her face, and she still refused to look at Hardy.

"Look, Miller, I know that, if the roles were reversed, you would have done the same thing for me. You shouldn't be embarrassed for having feelings." Hardy said quietly.

"I just… I can't believe that I just cried all over your shirt." Ellie muttered.

"I have others. I'm so glad that you trust me enough to cry when I'm around, let alone in my arms. I never want you to feel like you wronged me because of this. You've been there when I've needed you, remember?"

"I know, but…"

"Enough. Drink your tea." Hardy cut Ellie off mid-argument.

The two unlikely friends sat in silence for a while, lost in thought. Finally, when both had finished their drinks, Hardy stood from the couch, grabbing both mugs and bringing them into the kitchen.

When he came back out, Ellie was standing and preparing to leave and pick up her boys from the babysitter and school.

"Miller, wait." Hardy walked up to her and placed his hands on her shoulders, looking her directly in the eyes. "I need to know that you're alright."

"I'm fine, sir." She avoided his eyes.

"I'm serious, Ellie. I won't have you leave and suffer alone at your house if you're still upset." Hardy responded.

"Sir, I'm never going to stop being upset about everything. I'll recover from the Trish Winterman investigation and I'll be fine after other cases, but I'll never be able to get over the Danny Latimer investigation. I'll never forgive myself for not knowing that I was sleeping next to a child killer."

"You can't blame yourself for that. You couldn't have known." Hardy argued quietly.

"And yet I'll never forgive myself for it." Ellie paused. "I'll be okay, sir. Thank you for… everything. Seriously."

Hardy sighed and pulled Ellie forward gently until he had her wrapped in a hug. He rested his chin on her curls and held onto her for a long moment before he let go and pulled back.

"Call me if you need me. Seriously. If you need anything, I'm only a phone call away. I mean that." He patted her on the shoulder, fishing her keys out of his pocket and handing them to her. He opened the door for her and stood in the doorway as she turned around to look at him.

"I'm always here, Ellie."

"Thank you, sir." Ellie said quietly. She turned and walked off his porch toward her car, knowing that Hardy had just done more for her than he even realized. She didn't know where she would be without that man in her life.


End file.
